In the morning, the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella presented himself, as scheduled, in the main hall of the Economics Department of the University of Foggia for the inauguration of the academic year. He was greeted by the applause of those present who stood up. He was welcomed by teachers, students and the highest city and academic authorities. The ceremony began with the National Anthem.
After the first speeches, Mattarella addressed his message to young people: «The country is in a moment of relaunch, of need for recovery. There is a need to guarantee young people a prospect of life, personal fulfillment, equality and freedom. The formation of consciences is perceived as indispensable throughout our country. And on the front of the fight against organized crime, the formation of consciences is decisive and is one of the elements to which university teaching contributes which, as a cultural defense, is everywhere an element of support ». On economic growth he then launched the appeal: «There is the need to support a growing economy, to increase jobs, and there is an indispensable action, that of the formation of consciences. We need to develop a sense of coexistence and legality. Young people also commit themselves to accepting the risk, the desire to get involved, this is actually the horizon that all of Italy needs. We must aim for constant growth because our whole country is in a moment of revival, of recovery. There is a need for a relaunch and universities are a decisive point ».
To precede his speech that of the rector Pierpaolo Limone, who addressed directly to the President of the Republic: “Thank you President Mattarella: in these months of great emergency, you have been able to find the right words to spur us on”. Particularly significant is that of the President of the student council, Mirko Pio Bruno, who underlined: “In a territory like ours, economic poverty is often the cause and consequence of educational poverty”. And he recalled: “We faced the pandemic with strength, courage and determination”.